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The is a record of the military exploits of the Takeda family, compiled largely by the Takeda vassal Kōsaka Danjō Masanobu, and completed in 1616 by Obata Kagenori. It provides some of the most detailed descriptions and statistics of warfare in the
The is a record of the military exploits of the Takeda family, compiled largely by the Takeda vassal Kōsaka Danjō Masanobu, and completed in 1616 by Obata Kagenori. It provides some of the most detailed descriptions and statistics of warfare in the Sengoku period
The was a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615.
The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga shogunate. Variou ...
available today. The term ''Bushidō
is a moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior and lifestyle. There are multiple bushido types which evolved significantly through history. Contemporary forms of bushido are still used in the social and economic organization of Japan. ...
'' was first used in ''Kōyō Gunkan''.
The chronicle describes each of the Takeda's major battles, chronicling not only strategy and tactics but the outcomes as well. It describes the Chinese matchlock arquebus
An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier.
Although the term ''arquebus'', derived from the Dutch word ''Haakbu ...
es used at Uedahara in 1548, making that the first field battle in Japan to see the use of firearms. And the chronicle tells of the famous one-on-one skirmish fought by Takeda Shingen
, of Kai Province, was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' in feudal Japan. Known as the "Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful Daimyo, daimyō with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period.
Shingen was a warlord of ...
against Uesugi Kenshin
, later known as was a Japanese ''daimyō''. He was born in Nagao clan, and after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. He was one of the most powerful ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. Know ...
at the fourth battle of Kawanakajima
The were a series of battles fought in the Sengoku period of Japan between Takeda Shingen of Kai Province and Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo Province from 1553 to 1564.
Shingen and Kenshin contested each other for control of the plain of Kawanak ...
in 1561. Having broken through Takeda's forces, Uesugi Kenshin found his way to Shingen's command tent, where he engaged Shingen directly, slashing at him with his sword. Shingen deflected the attack with his iron war fan, and reached for his own sword. A Takeda retainer then speared Kenshin's horse, forcing him to retreat.
In one section, the chronicle gives a detailed breakdown of the entire Takeda army in 1573, counting everything from pages and banner bearers to kitchen staff, horse doctors, and finance commissioners. According to the document, the 33,736 members of the Takeda army included 9,121 horsemen, 18,242 followers for the horsemen, 884 ashigaru (foot-soldiers) within the ''hatamoto shoyakunin'' (personal attendants to the lord), and 5,489 other ashigaru. The detailed breakdown of the army also provides an interesting look into the hierarchy of retainers or allies within such a force.
The ''Heihō Okigusho'', contained within the chronicle, and attributed to general Yamamoto Kansuke, is one of Japan's earliest treatises on martial arts, along with tactics and strategy. It provides practical advice towards the wielding of sword, spear, gun and bow for the individual warrior rather than for the strategy of an entire troop. Sections by Kosaka Masanobu express his views on the warrior code in relation to the connection between lord and vassal. He compares Shingen to the ideal lord, and contrasts him to his son Takeda Katsuyori
was a Japanese '' daimyō'' of the Sengoku period, who was famed as the head of the Takeda clan and the successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was son in law of Hojo Ujiyasu.
Early life
He was the son of Shingen by the daugh ...
, whose poor leadership quickly led to the downfall of the clan.
References
*Turnbull, Stephen (1998). ''The Samurai Sourcebook''. London: Arms and Armour Press. , . *Wert, Michael (2014). "The Military Mirror of Kai: Swordsmanship and a Medieval Text in Early Modern Japan," in ''Das Mittelalter'', Vol. 19, No. 2 (November 2014): 407-419. {{DEFAULTSORT:Koyo Gunkan 1616 books Military strategy books Japanese chronicles Edo-period works Takeda clan 17th-century history books